One Bite
by RockSunner
Summary: One bite of Gum Gum Fruit is all it takes to gain the power to stretch. But what if Luffy never took that bite? What if Usopp did instead?
1. The Missed Bite

One bite of Gum Gum Fruit is all it takes to gain the power to stretch. But what if Luffy never took that bite? All characters belong to Eiichiro Oda, not me. 

**One Bite**

Makino the tavern-keeper had sharp ears and keen instincts for protecting her client's property. Despite the loud laughter of a bar full of pirates, she heard the shouts of the approaching bandits. She knew the voices of Higuma the Bear and his men; they had robbed her customers before. She scooped up the small treasure chest from the top of the bar and put it under the counter for safekeeping.

"We'll make two or three more voyages, and then we'll leave this village for good," said "Red-Haired" Shanks, the pirate captain.

"Ok then," said Monkey D. Luffy. "I'm gonna learn to swim before you leave. Then you'll have to let me be a pirate."

"Sure, learn to swim if you want," said Shanks. "But..."

Wham! Suddenly one of the swinging doors into the bar was kicked off its hinges. A horde of bandits swept in, just as Makino had anticipated.

"Make way for the scourge of the mountains!" shouted Higuma. He looked around the bar. "Hah! What a sorry-looking bunch. You call yourselves pirates?"

Higuma swaggered up to the bar and elbowed Shanks aside. "Don't worry, we're not here to wreck the place. We want ten barrels of grog. Serve us quick and there'll be no trouble."

"I'm sorry, we're fresh out," Makino answered calmly in spite of her fear.

"Then what are all these pirates drinking?" Higuma demanded.

"I'm sorry, we must have drunk it all up," Shanks put in. "But here's one bottle I haven't opened yet."

Higuma snatched the bottle and smashed it over Shanks' head. "You idiot, what use is one bottle to me?"

The whole bar went still as they waited for Shanks to react.

"Dear, dear, what a mess on the floor," Shanks said in a placid voice.

"Don't try anything," Higuma warned, pulling out his wanted poster. "See, I'm worth 8,000,000 berries. I've killed 56 men, so you'd better back off if you value your life"

Shanks knelt down on the floor and started picking up the broken glass. "Makino, do you have a cleaning rag I can use?"

Higuma sneered in disgust and used his sword to sweep Shanks' dinner plate to the floor. "If you like cleaning so much, here's more work for you!"

The bandits left with a final taunt, "Bye-bye, cowards."

When they were gone, the pirates burst out laughing. Shanks joined in.

"He got you good, didn't he Captain?" asked the fat pirate Lucky Roux.

"It's not funny!" Luffy shouted. "Why didn't you fight him? A real man wouldn't take that!"

"You're too young to understand," said Shanks. "It's just a little spilled grog. I don't need to fight over that to prove I'm a man."

Luffy turned to storm out. "Hmmph! I'm going to go find a better role-model"

Shanks grabbed Luffy's arm and turned the boy back to face him. "Listen, kid..."

Luffy ignored him and called, "Hey Makino, gimme the fruit you had up on the bar. I'll take it with me for dessert."

"You can't eat that," said Shanks. "It's a Devil's Fruit, and if you ate it you'd never be able to swim for the rest of your life! What would happen to your dream of being a pirate someday?"

"I'll be a pirate," said Luffy. "I'll be King of the Pirates. But not a wimp like you!"

With that Luffy pulled away from Shanks and ran out of the bar.

* * *

Luffy didn't see Shanks again until a few months later. He saw him from the ground, where he was pinned under the foot of Higuma the Bear. Luffy had tried to defend Shanks' honor when the bandit insulted him, but he was badly beaten and now Higuma was about to kill him. 

"Luffy, I thought your punch was as powerful as a pistol," said Shanks.

"This is no time to talk about that!" said Luffy through clenched teeth.

"So the cowardly pirates are back," sneered Higuma. "Stay out of this or we'll kill you!"

Shanks continued to move forward until one of the bandits pointed a pistol at him head.

"You heard our leader," said the bandit. "Stop or I'll blow your head off."

"You risk your life when you point guns at people," said Shanks mildly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked the bandit.

"Pointing a gun doesn't magically make people stop. It starts a life-or-death fight you could well lose."

Lucky Roux moved so fast that nobody saw him coming. He shot the bandit point-blank in the head.

"Hey, no fair!" shouted another bandit.

"You expect pirates to be fair?" retorted Shanks.

"This isn't your fight!" shouted another bandit.

"It is," said Shanks. "You can spill drinks on me, even spit on me, and I'll laugh it off. But I never let anyone hurt my friends."

"A pretty speech," Higuma laughed. "But you wimpy pirates can't stand up to my mountain bandits. Kill them, men!"

First mate Ben Beckman said, "Allow me, Cap'n."

Using his rifle as a club, Beckman rapidly dispatched one bandit after another until only Higuma the Bear was left standing.

"If you want to fight us 'wimpy pirates' you'd better bring a battleship," said Beckman.

"B-but this is all a misunderstanding... The brat started it..." stuttered Higuma.

"You're a wanted man," said Shanks. "Anyone's allowed to go for the bounty on your head, right?"

Suddenly the desperate outlaw threw a smoke bomb. When the smoke cleared Luffy and the Bear were gone.

Higuma dragged Luffy to the shore and onto a small boat. Soon they were far from shore.

"Ha ha!" Higuma chuckled. "Nobody would think of looking for a mountain bandit at sea! Now I don't need you as a hostage anymore, so out you go!"

He kicked Luffy out of the boat. A moment later, the gigantic head of a Sea King emerged from the water and chomped down both the bandit and his boat.

The Sea King was still hungry. It came after Luffy, but suddenly there was Shanks, swimming to the rescue. As Shanks pushed Luffy out of the way of the chomping teeth, Luffy suddenly began to swim. Luffy grabbed Shanks and pulled him away from the crushing jaws of the monster. The teeth only grazed Shanks' left arm.

Shanks stared into the Sea King's eyes. "Beat it," he said. The monster saw the power in his eyes and was overcome with fear. It turned and swam away.

"Luffy, you learned to swim?" Shanks asked in surprise.

"Yep. I told you I would," Luffy said. "I got Makino to teach me."

"You saved my arm," said Shanks. "I owe you one, and Red-Haired Shanks always pays his debts. Would you like to come on a voyage with us? You can find out first-hand if the pirate life's for you."

"Oh boy, I sure would!" Luffy grinned.


	2. To Sell the Fruit

**Chapter 2**

Luffy arrived at the dock full of smiles on the morning of the voyage. Lucky Roux was there, chewing a haunch of meat as usual. The other pirates hadn't arrived yet.

"Cap'n says you're to load all those aboard," said Roux, pointing to a towering stack of crates. "He said you need to learn that being a pirate is not all play."

"Sure," said Luffy. He picked up the whole stack at once. "Where does he want 'em?"

"Hey, careful with those!" Roux warned. "You sure are strong. How come you didn't beat that bandit?"

"He kept dodging my punches," said Luffy with a scowl. "I could never land a blow."

Luffy set the crates down on the deck. The stack shuddered but didn't topple.

"Yeah, it takes more than muscles to win a fight. You need combat training," Roux replied.

"Will you train me?" Luffy asked.

"I have more important things to do, like eating to keep up my strength," said Lucky Roux. "But one of our stops is Shimoshiki village; I know of a good dojo there. We'll be spending a week, so you could ask the Cap'n for permission to get some basic martial arts training."

"Great idea, thanks!" said Luffy.

Shanks and the other pirates arrived, along with a group of villagers to see them off. Among the villagers were Makino, Mayor Woop Slap, and Luffy's elder brother Portgas D. Ace.

"Bon voyage, Luffy!" Makino called. "Good luck in making your dream come true!"

"Hey Ace," Luffy called. "I'm finally going to beat you at something. I'm beating you to being a pirate!"

"Don't brag before you've even started, little bro'," Ace retorted with a grin.

"You bring shame on our village by becoming a pirate!" cried the Mayor. "I'll send word to your grandfather, Vice Admiral Garp. He'll come after you and put a stop to this."

Luffy turned pale at the mention of his fearsome grandfather. "No! Please don't."

"Don't worry, Luffy," said Shanks. "He'd have to find us first. We pirates are pretty good at steering clear of the Marines."

After the ship was launched, Ben Beckman turned to Shanks. "Some of the men have been asking me when we're going to find a buyer for that Gum Gum fruit."

"I was thinking we'd find a rich landlubber the next time we go through Loguetown," said Shanks. "Someone who'd like to be made of rubber."

"Yar, a rubber lubber," chuckled one of the pirates. "Could have some advantages with the ladies."

"Don't joke about the Devil's fruit," cautioned another pirate. "You'll make the sea turn against us."

"That only happens to the one who eats the fruit," said Shanks. "It does no harm having it aboard a ship. We took it off an enemy pirate ship, after all."

"Aye, and they had the bad luck to run into us, they did," said the cautious pirate.

"You see how it is, Captain," said Ben Beckman. "It doesn't bother me, but the men are a bit superstitious. We should rid ourselves of it sooner rather than later."

"Any suggestions on where we could sell it?" Shanks asked.

Yassop the sharpshooter put up his hand. "Cap'n, in my hometown of Syrup Village there's a rich man who's known to be generous. Fact is, he's a sucker for a hard-luck story. He'd give me a good price for it, I'm sure."

"Very well," said Captain Shanks. "Set sail for Syrup Village."


	3. Usopp's Bite

**Chapter 3**

"The pirates are coming! The pirates are coming!" shouted a boy running through the streets of Syrup Village. As he rounded the corner he bumped into a man and fell down.

"You're right, the pirates are coming," said Yasopp. "How did you know?"

"Daddy!" the young boy shouted, hugging Yasopp's knees.

"Luffy, this is my son Usopp. Usopp, meet Luffy, my shipmate," said Yasopp, pointing to the boy beside him who was carrying a heavy pack.

"Hi! Pleased to meet ya!" said Luffy.

"Same to you," said Usopp, though he felt a bit jealous that a boy his own age was his father's shipmate.

"Do you and your mother still live at the same place?" Yasopp asked.

"Yes," Usopp replied. "Come on home, she'll be so happy to see you!"

Before knocking on the door of the house Yasopp said, "Usopp, your mother and I will be wanting a little privacy for an hour or two. Would you show Luffy around? Luffy, take care of my pack for a bit longer, all right?"

Usopp and Luffy walked away into the woods.

"So you're Yasopp's son? You have a really long nose," said Luffy.

Usopp had heard this many times before and had a ready answer, "I inherited it from my mother. The best thing about a long nose is that it gives me a really keen sense of smell. For example, I can tell there are exactly 52 blueberries on a bush on the other side of the island."

"Yum, blueberries! Let's go eat them," said Luffy enthusiastically.

Usopp shook his head. "Too late. I can smell that a white parrot just ate them all."

"You can smell that the parrot is white?" Luffy asked sceptically.

"Umm, yeah. They smell different than other colors. Say, how did you get to be a pirate so young?"

"I saved the Captain Shanks' arm from a Sea King," said Luffy.

Usopp thought this was likely a fib, and decided to top it with one of his own. "Well, I've had plenty of adventures around here, too. Like the time I found a cave with fifty bears and beat them all up!"

"Really?" asked Luffy. "Wow!"

"Yeah! There I was, surrounded by forty bears..."

"I thought you said there were fifty."

"Well, umm, this was after I had beaten the first ten."

"You're telling me whoppers, aren't you?" asked Luffy, throwing his head back and laughing. "I don't mind. The pirates keep telling me whoppers about their adventures too."

"Yep," Usopp admitted with a grin. He was starting to like this kid. "Hey. what have you got in that pack?"

"I'm not sure," said Luffy. "Some treasure your dad wants to sell."

"May I see?" Usopp asked.

"Sure, why not? I'm curious too."

They opened the pack and found a small treasure chest inside. Within the chest was a strange yellow fruit with swirly patterns on its skin.

"Hey, I remember this fruit," said Luffy. "I nearly ate it one day, but Shanks warned me off. I can't remember exactly what he told me, but he said something weird would happen if I ate it. Maybe it was just another whopper because he wanted to sell it. I really wish I could taste it."

"The skin looks pretty firm," said Usopp. "I have a knife. If I cut a plug from it we can both taste it and then I'll put the plug back and nobody will know."

"Go for it," said Luffy eagerly.

Usopp carefully carved a small round plug from the fruit. "I get the first taste because I thought of the idea."

He nibbled the fruit and made a face. "Ugh! This tastes awful!"

Luffy tried a bite also. "You said it! This fruit must be rotten!"

They put the plug back in and put the fruit back in the chest.

"Let's do something else," suggested Usopp. "How about a slingshot competition? I warn you, I have perfect aim!"

"Okay, how about you hit an acorn off that tree over there?" Luffy challenged, pointing to a tree far in the distance.

"Sure," said Usopp, though it was further than he had ever tried to shoot before. He pulled back on the slingshot... way, way back.

"Hey!" shouted Luffy. "How are you doing that with your arm?"

Usopp stopped and looked at his arm. It was stretched to double its usual length.

"Uh oh," he said. "Maybe it was the fruit. You ate some, too. Try to stretch and see."

Luffy tried, but nothing happened.

"The fruit's magic must only work on the one who takes the first bite," said Usopp.

"Now that I think of it, I remember the pirates said this fruit would cause a person to be made of rubber," said Luffy. "Also Shanks said I wouldn't be able to swim if I ate it."

"Now you tell me," groaned Usopp.


	4. Kaya's Father

**Chapter 4**

"Having rubber powers is great!" Luffy told Usopp. "I wish I had them."

"But I used to be able to swim," Usopp complained. "I've dreamed of being a bold adventurer of the sea, a pirate like my dad."

"I learned to swim because I promised Cap'n Shanks I would, but all you have to do is be a pirate that doesn't fall overboard. If you did you could stretch and pull yourself back aboard."

"I guess so," said Usopp glumly.

"Let's see what you can do," Luffy suggested. "How far can you stretch your arms and legs?"

Usopp tested the limits of his stretching abilities. "I've always been a good runner. When I make my legs longer I can run three times faster."

"You could move your slingshot closer to the target, too," said Luffy.

"Good idea," said Usopp. He tried this, seeing how well he could aim with his arms stretched out.

Suddenly Luffy came up from behind and punched Usopp in the back. Boink!

"Hey, what was that for?" Usopp raged.

"Just testing."

"That hurt... no, I guess it didn't really. It just surprised me. Try it again."

Luffy threw several more hard punches. "If you can take that, you'll be able to bounce almost anything."

"I'm Usopp the Unbreakable! I laugh at punches, pistols, and knives," Usopp boasted. With that, he poked his left arm hard with his pocket knife and went "Yeooow!"

"Looks like you still get hurt by sharp stuff," Luffy observed.

"Tell me about it," said Usopp, holding his bleeding arm.

Suddenly they heard Yasopp calling for them.

"Oh-oh," Usopp said. "Dad wants to sell the fruit and now it's worthless."

"Just keep cool and don't tell him," Luffy advised. "It'll all work out."

"How do you figure that?" Usopp asked nervously.

"I don't bother with figuring," Luffy replied. "I just expect things to work out and they usually do."

Usopp was still doubtful, but they went back and handed the backpack with the Gum Gum Fruit to Yasopp.

"Hey, what happened to your arm?" Yasopp asked Usopp.

"I tripped and fell down on a sharp branch when we were running through the woods," Usopp lied.

"I'm off to try to sell this treasure to the richest family in town," Yasopp told them. "Have your mother look at that cut."

Both boys waited a few minutes and them followed Yasopp to the rich family's mansion.

"I don't really know anyone in that family except a girl named Kaya," said Usopp. "She's pretty nice... for a girl. I hope Dad doesn't get in trouble over the fruit."

Usopp stretched over the hedge at the side of the mansion and let Luffy climb over it using him as a ladder. They worked their way to the open window of the front parlor and listened.

"So you see, sir, this rare Gum Gum Fruit is the only treasure I've been able to find in all my years at sea, and I need to sell it to help my family," they heard Yasopp explain.

"Poor fellow, of course I'll help you," said Kaya's father. "A rare fruit like that should be worth 10,000,000 berries."

"Thank you, sir," said Yasopp. "You are extremely generous."

"Pardon the interruption of your old servant, sir," said another voice. "Shouldn't we test the fruit?"

"Naturally, Merry," said Kaya's father. "Would you like to be the one to eat it and get rubber powers?"

"Oh, no sir," replied Merry timidly. "Stretching is far too undignified for me."

"Then call my two guards," ordered the master of the house. "One of them might find stretching useful in his work."

"I beg your pardon, but it's their day off, sir," said Merry.

"Well, I don't want to keep this poor man waiting," said the master. "Fetch his payment and we'll test the fruit tomorrow."

"Thank you so much, sir," said Yasopp.

"See," whispered Luffy to Usopp. "It worked out, just like I said."

"For now," Usopp whispered back. "But tomorrow they'll find out they've been cheated."

"The pirates will have sailed by then," Luffy replied with a grin.

"But what about me?" Usopp asked. "If I stay here on the island they'll find out about my rubber body sooner or later. They'll blame my father and say he gave me a piece of the fruit before he sold it. My family will be disgraced!"

"Hmmm," Luffy pondered. "I know! I'll smuggle you aboard the ship before we sail!"

"That doesn't seem like a really smart idea," Usopp objected.

"You don't have a choice if staying around here will get you caught for sure," said Luffy. "You said you wanted to be a bold adventurer of the sea, right? Now's your chance!"


	5. Stowaway and Spotter

**Chapter 5**

"All right, I'll go with you," said Usopp. "I've wanted to sail with Dad my whole life. I'm sure they'll make me come back here fast but at least I may have some adventures to tell about."

Usopp wrote a note to his mother explaining the whole situation. If Kaya's family questioned her about the fruit she could tell them that Yasopp didn't know there was anything wrong with it when he sold it. Usopp slipped the note into his bedroom through a half-open window – having a stretchy arm helped.

Yasopp had given the backpack with the now-empty chest to Luffy to carry back unto the ship. The boys hid the chest and Usopp folded his flexible body into its approximate shape. Luffy carried Usopp onto the ship inside the backpack without anyone suspecting him.

The pirates didn't discover the stowaway until dinnertime, when they were well on their way to their next destination.

"Hey Luffy, why are you taking extra food from the table?" Lucky Roux asked. "Eat it here or leave it for the rest of us."

Luffy was no good at lying. "I'm taking it for Usopp," he admitted.

"What?" Yasopp shouted. "So that's why he didn't see me off! Where is that scamp?"

The pirates dragged Usopp from his hiding place in the cargo deck and soon the whole story came out.

"Luffy, I'm disappointed in you," said Shanks. "This stunt shows you're still just a kid. You ignored my warning about the Devil's Fruit, got your friend cursed, nearly spoiled our selling the fruit, and smuggled in a stowaway."

"I'm sorry I stowed away," said Usopp. "I didn't know if Dad would ever be back. It was the chance of a lifetime."

"I'm not sorry," Luffy said boldly. "Usopp got a cool power."

"It confirms my decision that you can't be a member of my crew, Luffy," Shanks added. 

"I've already decided I don't want to be on your crew. I'll train for ten years, then form my own pirate crew and be King of the Pirates."

"As punishment, I'm assigning you both watch duty in the crow's nest tonight," said Shanks.

Later that evening, Usopp shivered as they sat in the crow's nest. "It's cold up here and I don't like heights," he complained.

"It won't hurt if you fall," Luffy pointed out.

"My mind knows that, but my nerves doesn't know it yet," said Usopp.

"Let's take turns keeping watch. You watch first and I'll sleep," said Luffy.

"You can sleep up here?" Usopp asked, but Luffy was already snoring.

Usopp used the spyglass to scan the horizon for patrolling Marines or enemy pirate ships. Suddenly his keen eyes spotted movement on a distant island. He put on his vision-enhancing sniper goggles and looked again through the spyglass to be sure. Out there on a small island a young man was waving his arms frantically.

"Ahoy!" Usopp called down to the men on deck. "There's someone waving for help on an island to starboard. He may be a castaway."

"You'd better be right," one of the men called up. "Cap'n won't like a diversion from course."

The ship turned and headed for the island, which was rocky and steep-sided. As they got closer they could hear the shouts of the young man.

"Help! We're shipwrecked!" the boy called. "Come save us, you crappy ship! My food's nearly gone!"

The crew put out a longboat and rowed to the island. When they got to the boy, he said, "Thanks for saving me. My name's Sanji. There's a old geezer on the other side of the island that needs help too."

After the castaways were brought on board and given some food, Shanks came up to talk with them.

"Well, if it isn't Red-Legged Zeff," Shanks chuckled. "How'd you end up out here?"

"A storm sank my ship," Zeff told them. "We're been stranded here about 20 days."

"What happened to your leg?" Shanks asked, pointing to the pirate's right leg, which was missing below the knee.

"I had to eat something to survive," Zeff said. "I gave the boy all the food."

"You did?' Sanji exclaimed in shock. "But you had that big bag of food..."

"It's not food, it's treasure," said Zeff. "I'll gladly pay you for our passage to shore, Shanks. Just leave me something to buy a new ship. I'm out of the piracy business. I'll make a new life with a floating restaurant instead."

"It's a deal," said Shanks.

"You were a student cook on your old ship, weren't you, String-bean?" Zeff asked Sanji. "Want to come work for me? We'll make a fine restaurant, you and me."

"Sure, crappy-geezer!" Sanji replied.

Shanks called up to Usopp in the crow's nest, "Good spotting, Usopp. You saved two lives and got us some treasure, too. You're earning your keep!"

Usopp grinned to himself, thinking of the wonderful story he would tell his mother... with a few added details about his glorious heroism, of course.


	6. Dreams and Schemes

**Chapter 6**

The next day, Luffy, Usopp, and the new arrivals Sanji and Zeff were chatting near the ship's forward bow.

"You've had an adventure, Sanji," Usopp said curiously. "What was it like?"

"Crappy," Sanji responded. "Starving to death isn't fun."

"I know how you feel," Luffy said. "I'm hungry all the time."

"Starving and being a glutton are two different things," Sanji retorted.

Zeff said, "That's one reason I want to start a seagoing restaurant. We'll never send anyone away hungry."

"I'd like that," Sanji smiled. "Cooking's what I love."

"That's your dream, just to be a cook?" Luffy asked.

"My dream's to go to the Grand Line and find the All Blue, the legendary sea with the fishes of all the oceans. Imagine the recipes!"

"My dream's to be a great warrior of the sea," Usopp said.

"I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed.

Just then Captain Shanks and Ben Beckman approached.

"Cap'n, where are we headed next?" Luffy asked.

"Shimoshiki Village," Shanks replied. "I'm planning to train at a kendo dojo there. I have a duel coming up in a week and I need to be prepared."

"Who are you fighting?" Zeff asked.

"Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman," Shanks answered.

"I wish you wouldn't risk your life dueling him," Beckman remonstrated.

"How else can I get better but by fighting a better swordsman than myself?" Shanks responded.

"You haven't fully recovered from the Sea King's teeth grazing your sword arm," said Ben. "The wound may be infected."

"The only way I would have backed out is if the Sea King had bitten my arm off," Shanks said.

"That duel sounds cool!" Luffy exclaimed. "Will I get to watch?"

"I don't see why not," Shanks said.

Zeff said, "Sanji, I'd like you to get some martial arts training, too. We'll have to be able to defend our restaurant against rough customers at sea. I'm planning to recruit all my cooks from fighting pirates."

"I wish I could get some training, too," Usopp sighed. "Even an invincible rubber man like me could use some new moves."

"I'll pay for lessons for you, and for your friend Luffy too," Zeff offered. "Sanji and I owe our lives to you for spotting us on your watch."

Shanks and Beckman walked away from their guests to check over the rest of the ship.

"Luffy should know that being a pirate isn't all fun and games," Beckman said. "So far he hasn't seen what pirates really do. Will we be pillaging on this trip? Our cash reserves are low."

"I don't know," Shanks responded. "Of course we couldn't raid Yasopp's home village, and I can't rob the place I'm training."

"But after that?"

"If we get into a fight I'm concerned Luffy will want to join in. He's not ready for that."

"I think he knows that after trying to fight Higuma the Bear. But he's so naive that I think it'd do him good to see the darker side of the pirate life."

"You may be right, Ben, We'll see."


	7. Dojo Training

**Chapter 7**

Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji bowed to the sensei of the kendo dojo.

"Welcome, new students," said the sensei. "I apologize that I will be unable to train you personally. Captain Shanks has requested exclusive instruction from me this week in order to prepare for his duel. I will leave your training in the hands of my two best students."

A young man and woman entered the room. The boy was only a couple of years older than Luffy, and the girl was only a couple of years older than that.

"I present to you Roronoa Zoro and my daughter Kuina," said the sensei. "Please give them all the respect you would give to me. Both are young but very capable."

The sensei bowed and left the room.

"How can we be trained by a guy our age and a girl?" Usopp muttered. "Zeff wasted his money."

"We get to work with a pretty girl, so don't knock it, you dope," Sanji whispered back with a lovestruck gleam in his eye.

"You seem quite confident," Kuina challenged Usopp. "Take a bokken and come forward. Let's see what you can do in a match against me."

Usopp took one of the wooden practice swords from a woven basket and swung it around. "Behold Usopp the Unbreakable, mighty warrior of the sea!"

"I can see by the way you hold the bokken that you don't have a clue what you're doing," smirked Zoro. "If I were you I'd back down before I got hurt."

"Oh yeah?" shouted Usopp, stung by the criticism. He attacked Kuina from where he stood, stretching his arms to strike at her.

Kuina was only startled for an instant. With lightning reflexes she parried the attack, charged inside Usopp's reach, and sent him across the room with a mighty blow from her bokken. Usopp bounced off the wall and stood up, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.

"Devil's Fruit powers are no substitute for skill," said Kuina. "Any other challengers?"

Zoro told them, "I've fought her 127 times and I've never beaten her yet. I will someday soon, though. I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman."

"In your dreams," Kuina replied. "You'll never beat me."

"That was fantastic!" Luffy enthused. "But I really want to learn to fight with my fists. I have a punch like a pistol if I can just connect."

"Zeff has started training me in kick-fighting," said Sanji. "Someday I want to specialize in that to save my hands for cooking. But I'll gladly learn whatever you want to teach me, Kuina-sama."

"Call me Kuina-sensei," Kuina corrected. "Kendo training will improve your balance and your ability to read your opponent for any form of martial arts."

"Count me in," said Usopp sheepishly. "I just ate the Devil's Fruit a few days ago. I'm an expert marksman, but I could use some training in how to fight with my new power."

"Good," said Kuina. "Everyone take a bokken and we will begin the basic katas."

Day after day they practiced the elementary moves, building up their muscle-memories. It was hard work but they all began to improve their fighting skills.

Toward the end of the week, Kuina announced, "You have all made exceptional progress, so we will devote the last two days to sparring practice. Luffy and Zoro are the two strongest, so they will be one pair. Usopp and Sanji will be the other. I will observe and correct."

Luffy's toughness and strength were no match for Zoro's skill. His optimism was unshakable. however. "You got me that time, but next time I'll win," was his constant refrain.

"You have a stubborn streak just like me," Zoro said approvingly. "That's what I always say to Kuina."

Usopp and Sanji were unorthodox fighters. Sanji had superior skill, but Usopp constantly put his stretching to use in unorthodox moves and exploited the fact that he couldn't be hurt by blunt attacks. Sanji countered with kick-boxing moves that Zeff taught him after class.

"Learn the standard moves first," Kuina tried to tell them, but it was in vain.

"Who is your Captain preparing to duel, anyway?" asked Zoro at the end of the last day of training. "He's been keeping the sensei really busy."

"Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world," Luffy answered.

"I wish I could see that fight," Zoro said sadly. "I'm going to be the greatest swordsman of them all, so I'll have to beat Mihawk someday."

"Why not come with us?" Luffy asked.

"Could I?" Zoro asked in surprise.

"I don't see why not," Luffy replied.

It wasn't that easy to persuade the pirates to take yet another kid aboard. Shanks was grateful to the sensei for his training, so he finally agreed.

Zeff also wanted to see the fight before leaving to start his restaurant, so the pirate company set sail for the small uninhabited island where the duel would take place.

"Are you ready for this, Cap'n?" Lucky Roux asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Shanks. "Let's go."


	8. Meat

**Chapter 8**

The day after the pirate ship Red Force set sail for the rendezvous with Mihawk, Luffy and Usopp staggered into the ship's galley. Luffy was bleeding and bruised; Usopp was uninjured but exhausted.

"Meat! Gimme some meat!" Luffy called to Lucky Roux, who was sitting at the galley table chewing on an enormous rack of beef as usual.

"What happened to you guys?" Roux asked.

"Sparring practice with Zoro and Sanji," panted Usopp.

"Yeah, Zoro's pretty tough," Luffy admitted. "Next time I'll beat him. But now I'm hungry. Gimme some meat!"

"You like meat almost as much as I do. Here," Roux said, tossing Luffy a hunk of his meat.

"Yum!" said Luffy, devouring it in one gulp. Immediately, his wounds healed and he seemed full of energy again. "More!"

"Hey, how did you do that?" Usopp asked. "Just by eating meat you healed up completely."

"Beats me," Luffy answered. "I've always been like that."

"You have a special meat metabolism," Roux said. "Kind of like me. My digestive system works at high speed and I need to keep eating meat or I conk out. It's the price I pay for being fast."

"More meat!" Luffy demanded again.

"Here's a rack of your own," Roux said. He ran to the locker so fast that he was a blur. He tossed large pieces of meat on the bone to both Luffy and Usopp.

"Do you have any hot sauce?" Usopp asked.

"You like that stuff? I can't stand it myself," said Roux, but he snatched up a bottle and placed it in front of Usopp.

"It's not to eat. It's for a trick I want to try on Sanji the next time we fight," Usopp said.

Usopp took several small ceramic balls from the shoulder pouch he always carried. He carefully opened the stopper on one of them and poured in the hot sauce. "This is my Flaming Star. I can shoot it at an opponent and temporarily blind him. Nice trick, don't you think?"

"You fight dirty, like a true pirate," said Roux approvingly.

Usopp puffed with pride at the compliment.

"I want something to trick Zoro, too," demanded Luffy.

"I have an idea for you," Roux replied. "Just a moment, I have to get something from my sea chest." Seconds later he was back with two metal bands.

"What are those?" Usopp asked.

"I used to wear these wrist bands before I got too big for them," Roux told them. "They each have a secret compartments for holding dried meat. Here you are, Luffy. I loaded it up for you. You can use it for emergency healing."

Luffy took the bands, opened the compartments, and immediately ate the meat.

"Hey, that's supposed to be for emergencies!" Roux scolded.

"If I have meat, I eat it," Luffy responded cheerfully.

"Hmmm," Roux said. "Let me try a trick I learned from a shipmate when I was pirate trainee."

Lucky Roux tied a string to a shiny metal cup and swung it back and forth in front of Luffy's eyes. Luffy stared at it and was instantly hypnotized.

"When I say 'One, two, three, Jango,' you will forget that there is meat in the wrist bands except in emergencies when you need healing. You will wear the bands at all times. When you really need it you will eat one piece of the meat, which will be enough to heal you. You will replace the meat at the first opportunity and then forget it again until you need it. One, two, three, Jango!"

"What great wrist bands," Luffy said in a dazed voice. "I'm going to wear them all the time."

"Here's some beef jerky," Roux said, handing it to Luffy.

Luffy mechanically loaded the jerky in the compartments and closed them.

"Now you have a secret edge too, Luffy," said Usopp.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Luffy. "But I guess these bands could come in handy when I punch something hard."

"You got it, kid," said Lucky Roux with a grin.


	9. The Duel

**Chapter 9**

"This is the place I'll be dueling Mihawk – Centipede Island," Shanks told Luffy and his friends, pointing over the ship's rail.

The flatness of the desert island was broken by over 100 columns of black crystal rock. They were of assorted heights and angles, but most were over thirty feet and vertical; the island resembled a giant insect on its back.

"I wanna come ashore and watch," Luffy pleaded.

"You have to stay on the ship. It's too dangerous for kids," Ben Beckman cautioned. "The forces they'll be throwing around... Cap'n Shanks' battle aura can overcome strong men. Mihawk's the same."

"Cap'n, you promised I could see first-hand what a pirate's life is like," begged Luffy. "Seeing a real duel is part of learning how to be King of the Pirates."

"I'm also hoping to see the battle close-up," Zoro put in. "I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman, so I'll have to beat Mihawk someday."

"What ambitions!" laughed Shanks. "I'm almost tempted to say yes."

"Usopp and Sanji too," Luffy demanded.

"I'd love to," Sanji said. "The crappy-geezer told me to pick up all the combat skills I can."

"I wasn't asking," said Usopp nervously. "I'll be just fine here on the ship."

"Come on, you're safer than all of us," Luffy teased.

"It's not that I'm afraid," Usopp said. "It's just that I'm coming down with 'don't-go-on-rocky-islands' disease."

"Don't worry Usopp, I was just kidding," said Shanks with a big laugh. "It's out of the question for any of the crew to come ashore: Hawk-eye Mihawk and I agreed on that. But you can watch from the ship."

"But where's Mihawk?" one of the pirates asked. "He's late."

"I am never late," came a calm voice from below. Everyone looked and discovered that a coffin-shaped boat lit by eerie green candles had silently pulled up beside the ship. Enthroned on the boat was an elegantly-dressed man with an enormous black sword on his back.

"Mihawk!" Shanks called cheerfully.

Zoro stared down at the man intently. Luffy and his other friends looked on with curiosity.

Mihawk noticed the young men and frowned. "You pirates have brought your brats to watch? Shanks, you offend me. I thought you came for a duel between men, not an entertainment for children."

"I'm repaying a debt of honor," Shanks replied. "I take full responsibility."

"Indeed you will," said Mihawk ominously. "We duel to first blood, as usual. But if you are careless, that blood could be the loss of your head."

"Agreed," said Shanks. "Who knows, the first blood could be yours this time."

"There's not the slightest chance of that, Shanks. You cannot possibly best me, even if your sword arm were not wounded. I heard of your close encounter with a Sea King."

"No problem." Shanks tossed his cutlass to his right hand. "I'm not left-handed."

"Ridiculous. You wouldn't have dared to use your weaker arm against me in our previous duels!"

"Just kidding." Shanks tossed his cutlass back to his left hand.

"I fail to see the humor," said Mihawk coldly. "Let us begin!"

With that, Mihawk leaped to the island in a single bound. Shanks jumped at the same instant. The opponents sprang to the tops of the rocky pillars, dove at each other, and rebounded to land on other pillars. The clash of their weapons shook the island and sent out waves that rocked the ship.

"Wow! Isn't this great!" enthused Luffy.

"Not too crappy," agreed Sanji.

"Really super!" said Usopp, trying hard not to show how terrified he was.

"I have a long way to go to reach this level," Zoro said with a frown.

Even though Mihawk's skill made his fighting seem effortless, both men were exerting incredible strength. The very air pressure from the mighty blows began to take its toll on the island. Suddenly one of the crystal pillars shattered and sent shards flying in every direction.

"Watch out!" Usopp yelled. His rubbery arms stretched out and flailed in the air, trying to ward off the incoming rocks.

Usopp's martial-arts training improved his reaction time, but it wasn't enough; Sanji was struck in the head by one of the larger pieces and he toppled over the rail, stunned. Usopp stretched an arm after him and caught him just as he hit the water.

"Help!" Usopp called to the others. "The sea-water's weakening my grip. I can't pull him up!"

"I'll get him!" Luffy shouted. He climbed down Usopp's arm like a rope, grabbed Sanji. tossed him up for Zoro to catch, then climbed back up himself.

"Hey, we make a good team." Luffy said to Usopp and Zoro. "In a few years I'm gonna have a pirate ship of my own. Want to be my shipmates?"

"I'll have to think about it," said Usopp, pulling his arm back to normal size and shaking the sea water off his hand.

"Same here," said Zoro. "If it won't make me a better swordsman it's a waste of my time."

Meanwhile, the problems on the boat had not gone unnoticed by the duelists.

"Did you do that on purpose, Mihawk?" Shanks demanded, still swinging his cutlass at top speed.

"I wouldn't stoop to endangering innocents to distract an opponent," Mihawk responded icily. "It's your responsibility for bringing children into this."

"Then I'll take the responsibility of ending it," said Shanks, deliberately failing to parry and taking a deep cut on his left arm.

"First blood," said Mihawk. "This duel is over."

"Yes," said Shanks through gritted teeth.

"I did not wish to win this way," said Mihawk. "This will be our last duel, even if you can manage to save that arm, which I doubt."

After the pirates sailed from Centipede Island, Ben Beckman announced: "The Cap'n will be laid up for several days. I'm in command until he recovers."

"Chances don't look good for his arm," the ship's doctor reported. "He needs plenty of rest and fresh citrus fruit to help him heal."

"We're very low on fruit," Lucky Roux reported. "We need more to ward off the scurvy, too."

Ben Beckman said. "I know just the place to get our hands on a nice crop of oranges. Set sail for Cocoyashi Village."

"Aye-aye sir!" said the pirate crew.

"If you're buying food, please get me more meat too." Luffy requested.

"I didn't say we'd be buying," Beckman answered grimly. "I think we've been too soft lately. We'll get our supplies the old-fashioned pirate way."

"Neat!" said Luffy, not really understanding. "I'd love to see that."

"Watch and learn, youngster," said Beckman.


	10. Nami's Commission

**Chapter 10**

"Land ho!" called the pirate on watch. "Kokoyashi Island ahead!"

"Whoopie! Fresh meat!" Luffy rushed to the rail to look, followed by Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji.

Temporary Captain Ben Beckman studied the peaceful port village through the spyglass. The hills above the village were covered with lush citrus trees.

"Do we charge in and sack 'em, Cap'n?" Yasopp asked.

"They look like a push-over for any strong gang of pirates that come along," Beckman said. "But Shanks is still laid up from his sword fight, so I'll take no chances. We'll play this crafty." He shouted to the crew: "Strike the Jolly Roger! Hoist the plain sail."

The ship made harbor without causing excitement, looking like an ordinary merchant ship.

Luffy and his friends started down the gangplank, eager to explore.

"This is my chance to shop for souvenirs of my great adventures to show the folks back home," Usopp told the others.

"So you can spin stories about them?" Zoro asked.

"That's half the fun," Usopp replied.

Zeff stumped after Sanji and easily caught up despite his wooden leg. "Hey, string-bean. We've docked at Kokoyashi village, but I heard Goza Village nearby has better ship-builders. I'm walking over there to get our new restaurant ship started. Coming?"

"Sure, old geezer," said Sanji. "Gimme some time to hang around with these guys a while first. I'd like to say goodbye, ya know?"

Ben Beckman called to Luffy, "Wait up, lad! I could use your help on a shopping expedition."

"Sure thing," said Luffy with a grin.

As they walked together through the market, Beckman saw a girl with bright orange hair sitting by herself on a barrel, eating a mandarin orange. "Ahoy, Carrot-top!" he said to her.

The girl looked up at him. "The name's Nami. What do you want?"

"That orange you're eating looks good," Beckman said. "Where'd you get it?"

Nami said, "My mother just harvested a new crop. They're really great this year."

"We'd like to buy some. Where can we find her orchard?" Beckman asked.

"If I tell you, I want a twenty percent sales commission," said Nami.

"That's robbery. Ten percent."

"Eighteen percent. She has the best on the island."

"Fifteen."

"Sixteen."

"All right, sixteen percent it is. How do we find the place?"

"I'll show you," said Nami.

"Does your mother know you're collecting commissions?" Beckman asked.

Nami shook her head, her face turning red. "I need some money of my own."

"It's all right, we won't tell her," laughed Beckman. "Better then if you don't come with us. Tell us how to get there."

"How do I know you'll pay?" asked Nami suspiciously.

Beckman replied, "You can wait at our ship to make we don't sail away after we make the deal with your mother. Young Luffy here will show you around."

Nami still felt a trickle of doubt, but Beckman's smooth manner and Luffy's innocent grin convinced her. "All right. It's Bellemere's orchard, on the big hill west of town. I'll draw you a map." She pulled out a piece of paper and made a rapid sketch.

"That's a fine sketch-map, young lady," said Beckman.

"Thanks, I'm planning to be a cartographer some day."

The three walked together back to the ship and Beckman gathered a team of pirates to head off to the farm. Nami and Luffy walked around the deck together. Lucky Roux followed a short distance behind, listening as he chewed a haunch of beef.

"This is a great ship," said Nami. "Where have you sailed?"

"I've only been on East Blue so far, but this ship has sailed the Grand Line," Luffy responded.

"May I see your chart room? I'd love to see the Grand Line maps," said Nami.

"Sure, but what's the big deal about maps?" Luffy asked.

Nami looked shocked. "What? Without maps you have no idea where you're going. You'd get lost at sea!"

"So? It's more fun wandering around," Luffy said breezily.

"You'd run out of food and water, and die. I'm glad you're just a young apprentice sailor and not the ship's navigator."

"I'm an apprentice now but one day I'll be King of the Pirates!" Luffy boasted.

Nami gulped. "Pirates? This is a pirate ship?"

"Yep. The Red-Haired Pirates. Isn't that great?"

"Umm, it's been nice visiting but I'll be heading home now," Nami said nervously.

"What about the tour of the map room?" Luffy asked.

"Never mind that. I've got to go warn-- go home, I mean." Nami started for the gangplank but suddenly Lucky Roux was in front of her.

"Hold on, you aren't going anywhere," said Roux.

"You rats! What about my sixteen percent commission?" Nami gasped.

"Don't worry, you'll get sixteen percent of what we pay your mother," laughed Roux. "Sixteen percent of zero is zero. Ha!" With a burst of speed he grabbed Nami and tied her to the main mast.

"Luffy I was starting to like you and you betrayed me! Mmmph!" (Roux had just gagged her).

"Roux, what are you doing?" Luffy demanded. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Roux said, "Luffy, Beckman once told you that one of the duties of a pirate is hostage-taking. You've done your first real mission as a pirate. Good work."

Luffy glared, clenching his fists.

"Don't try anything you'll regret, son. I'm much too fast for you. Besides, how can you turn against your own shipmates?"

Luffy put his head down and charged Roux. An instant later he was flying off the ship; he landed with a splash in the water.


	11. Nami's Rescue

**Chapter 11 – Nami's Rescue**

Luffy swam to shore, sputtering. He pulled himself up on the dock, in front of his friends Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji. Usopp flinched backwards when Luffy shook himself dry, avoiding the rubber-power-draining touch of sea water.

"Guys, I'm going back on the ship and kick Lucky Roux's butt!" Luffy told them in a fury. "I got tricked into luring a girl onto the ship. Now they're holding her hostage so they can steal oranges from her mother."

"A pretty girl?" asked Sanji with a lovestruck look in his one visible eye.

"I dunno," said Luffy. "I never pay attention to stuff like that. But it was a cheap and cowardly scheme, and they tricked me into it. Someone's gonna pay!"

"Isn't that what pirates do?" Usopp asked. "I mean, a certain amount of lying and cheating is expected, right? They are crooks, you know."

"It lacks honor," Zoro declared. "As a kendo warrior, I will help you defeat Lucky Roux, Luffy."

"So will I," Sanji affirmed. "A girl is in danger and that's good enough for me."

"It's my own dad's crew," Usopp waffled. "But... I'd hate to go back after my adventures as a bold warrior of the sea knowing I did nothing to help a maiden in distress. Count me in. What's the plan?"

"Plan?" asked Luffy. "We go back out there and whip Roux's butt."

"He's fast for a fat guy," objected Zoro. "In fact, he's the fastest opponent I've ever seen, next to Mihawk."

"Fast or not, it's four to one," said Sanji, "Let's do it."

They commandeered a dinghy and rowed out to the ship. All of them climbed up a rope ladder onto the deck, where Lucky Roux stood guard over the bound and gagged Nami, chewing as always on a haunch of meat.

"Let her go!" Luffy shouted at Roux.

"Oh, so you've brought reinforcements," Roux said. "It doesn't matter; you can't beat me. Usopp, you stay out of this. I don't want to have to kill you. The others are just passengers who have overstayed their welcome. You're the son of a shipmate."

"Y-you have a point there," Usopp admitted. "But you're underestimating Usopp the Unbreakable, bold warrior of the sea. I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back."

"That so?" asked Roux. "Then try it." In a blur of motion he wrapped one of Usopp's arms around the young man's body and tied it there.

With a roar, the other three young attackers charged.

"Hardly a challenge," sneered Roux. In an instant he seemed to split into three: one dueling Zoro with a cutlass, one kick-boxing with Sanji, and one trading punches with Luffy.

"He's so fast he can flip between three fights at once," Usopp realized. He stretched out a foot to try to trip Roux as he sped between fights, chewing off more meat from the haunch between each encounter.

Roux responded by grabbing Usopp by the leg.

"I'll tell your father you died bravely," Roux told Usopp. With a lightning-quick tug he sent Usopp whirling into the air, with the intent of throwing him into the sea to drown. Usopp desperately stretched out his one free arm and caught the top of the mainmast. He swung himself into the crow's nest.

While Usopp cowered in the crow's nest, he got an eagle-eye view of the battle. Usopp noticed the meat was getting more and more eaten off the bone Roux held; he had a sudden inspiration.

When Roux ran out of meat he dashed into the larder to get more. Suddenly he gave a wild howl: "Waoooh! Hot! I can't stand this! What have you done to my meat?'

"Simple, " Usopp told him. "I'm a strategic genius. I stretched down through the porthole and put my Flaming Star hot sauce on all your meat. You told me once you didn't like hot sauce, so I hoped it would stop you eating and re-fueling your super-speed."

"I... I can eat it," said Lucky Roux with gritted teeth.

"Yes, but not fast enough to keep yourself refueled when all of us are pressing you," Zoro stated. "Get him, guys!'

Sword, fists, and feet flying, the three strongest fighters triple teamed Roux while Usopp peppered him and his meat with more hot-sauce bombs. Roux slowed down, staggered, and finally went down.

When Nami was freed from her gag, she said to them: "You've got to do something to help Bellemere. She's all alone and the pirates are coming to rob her. She's an ex-Marine. Once she knows I'm not a hostage she's liable to do something stupid like trying to fight the pirates and getting herself shot in the head."

"Let's go," Luffy demanded, and the whole group set out in the dinghy a few minutes later, leaving Roux tied to the mast in the place of Nami.


	12. The Battle at Bellemere's

**Chapter 12 – The Battle at Bellemere's**

When they got to the docks, Usopp said, "We need a plan."

"Nah, we just go and fight," Luffy said.

"They've got Ben Beckman with them," Usopp said. "You told me he took out a whole bandit gang by himself. I've got a trick that will take just a minute to set up. Give me a hand with that cannonball over there, okay?"

* * *

The pirate group led by Ben Beckman had arrived at the mandarin orange farm of Bellemere. They called out and a woman with pink hair cut in an odd Mohawk came to the door, a cigarette hanging from one corner of her mouth.

"I'm Bellemere. What do you want?"

"We're here for oranges," Ben Beckman said.

"How much do you need? I've got a nice crop this year," Bellemere said.

They spent a some time checking out the mandarin oranges and getting a free sample. The time had come to talk price.

"Before we start you need to look with this spyglass at our ship down there. We have something extra to bargain with," said Beckman.

Bellemere gave him a hard stare, but she took the spyglass and looked through it. "I see you've got a fat man tied to your mast," she said. "So what? I don't know him. He looks like one of your own scurvy crew."

"What?" Beckman said. He took back the spyglass and looked. Sure enough, it was Lucky Roux tied to the mast and not Nami.

"You'd better clear out," Bellemere said. "I don't deal with crooks and pirates. And I'm an ex-Marine, so don't think you can pull anything on me."

"Believe me, one Marine doesn't stand a chance against us," Yasopp said.

"You leave her alone!" a girl's voice called. Ben spun around and saw Usopp running up carrying Nami. The boy's legs were stretched out and he was running fast.

"Nami, stay out of this! Get away!" Bellmere ordered.

"No," said Nami, jumping down from his arms. "I stay with you no matter what."

Yasopp laughed. "Very good, son. You haven't really burned any bridges yet. You may have played a little prank on old Roux by tying him up, which serves him right for not looking out smarter for himself. But you made up for it by bringing the hostage to us. I've got her covered."

Nami gasped as she saw the pistol pointed her way.

Ben looked Bellmere. "There won't be any problem getting our free oranges now, will there?"

Bellmere said, "No, there won't be."

But now Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji arrived, ready for a fight,

"Look here, Ben!" Luffy said. "I don't like the way you used me to capture this girl. That was a dirty trick and I'm going to beat you up for it."

"Stand down," said Yasopp. "Or I shoot the girl."

"Block his shot, Usopp!" Luffy said as he charged at Beckman.

_So much for following the plan_, thought Usopp.

Usopp stretched out flat in a desperate attempt to cover Nami. He'd never tried bouncing a bullet before and he wasn't sure what would happen. At least shot was round, so he had a chance.

Yasopp fired, confident he could wing Nami even through Usopp without hitting his son in a vital spot. His aim was that good.

But Usopp's aim was also good, and so was his rubberzed bullet-bouncing power. He bounced the shot back so straight that it went up the barrel of his father's gun, blasting it out of Yasopp's hand and ruining the firing pan.

Zoro and Sanji engaged the low-level pirates by sword and by foot-fighting respectively. Luffy squared off with Beckman. Bellemere grabbed Nami and ran to cover.

Beckman easily parried Luffy with his rifle-butt, not yet ready to go all out on kids. Sanji and Zoro were being hard-pressed by their opponents, who were also holding back.

"You kids are going to get hurt, or worse, messing with us," Beckman said, "Friends of the Cap'n or not. Like I always say, if you want to fight us you'd best bring a battleship."

"I did," Usopp said.

"What?" asked Beckman, slowing down a little but still defending

Before we came up here I spotted a battleship on the horizon, big enough to hold ten thousand men. I had the others stretch me out like a giant slingshot and fire a cannonball out to them with a message on it. They'll be coming soon," Usopp said.

Yasopp laughed. "Always such a liar, aren't you son? That's a load of codswallop."

"It's true," Usopp said. "You'll see."

Just then, a cannonball came smashing down among them.

A pirate touched it and said, "It ain't hot. How did it get fired?"

Another said, "I heard tell of a Marine Vice-Admiral what throws cannonballs with his bare hands, like they was baseballs."

Beckman picked up the cannonball. "There's writing on it. One part says, 'Help! The pirates are coming! They're here!' The second part says, 'Message received – we're coming. Signed: Vice Admiral Garp'."

Yasopp said, "You really did it. You turned me in, your own dad."

Usopp looked sad but stood his ground.

The pirates grumbled, and one said, "We've got to get back to the ship. But we should take these traitors along with us, and keelhaul them once we get the chance."

"Nobody's getting keelhauled," came a voice carrying authority.

"Cap'n! You're up and around!" said Beckman.

"More or less," Shanks said, shifting his cloak so that they could see his left arm had been amputated.

"No! That arm cut Mihawk gave you..." Beckman said.

"Yes, it got infected and had to be cut off before I got the gangrene," Shanks said. "But that's not important now. I'm not going to hear any talk of punishing traitors. They're just kids, and not proper members of the crew, just passengers."

"They've called the Marines down on us," Yasopp said.

"Boys will be boys," Shanks said. His easy-going expression hadn't changed a bit. "But kids, we're going to have to leave you here. This is the end of the voyage for you. I can't answer for your safety if I took you back aboard, with the men riled up as they are."

"Hey, that wasn't the deal!" Luffy said.

"We're even now," Shanks told him. "You've had your taste of the pirate life, and it looks like it isn't for you."

Luffy said, "I'm still going to be king of the pirates, and I'm going to be a better standard of pirate than ones who kidnap little girls so they can steal oranges."

"You're right, that was low," Shanks said. "It wouldn't have happened on my watch. I admire your spunk, kid. You remind me of when I was your age. So I'll give you something to remember me by."

He took off his straw hat and tossed it to Luffy. Luffy caught it.

"Once you come to the Grand Line and become king of the pirates you can give it back to me," Shanks said.

For a second it looked like Luffy was going to toss the hat back, but he didn't. "All right, I'll do just that. Wait and see!"

The pirates marched back to their ship, leaving Usopp, Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro behind.

Bellemere and Nami came out of hiding. Luffy, in a trance, took out a piece of dried meat from the compartment in his wrist-band and ate it to heal his wounds from the fight.

"You did well, boys, standing up to those pirates for us," Bellemere said. "That was very brave, and foolish."

"Yes! I'm the greatest hero of the East Blue sea," Usopp said. "Three cheers for Usopp the Unbreakable!"

Bellemere said, "I was just on my old Marine radio, and Vice Admiral Garp is coming."

"He is?" Usopp said in surprise. "I just set up a cannonball on a catapult, with a timing mechanism."

"He's been trying to get Luffy back home from the day he left," Bellemere said.

"Uh-oh," said Luffy.

"You'll all be able to get rides back home, anyway," Nami said. "Thank you for rescuing me. You're not bad after all. Not pirates."

"That's what you think," Luffy said. "After I train for a few years I'm coming out to sea again. I'll pick up all of you and we'll have the best pirate crew that ever was!"

Sanji and Zoro pondered this silently, their minds on plans they had already made.

"I'm invited?" Usopp asked. "I... it's an honor to be asked, but I don't know..."

"Of course you're invited," Luffy said. "And Zoro, and Sanji, and even Nami if she wants. We've been comrades in adventure, and there'll be much more to come."

"As if I would ever do that," Nami said.

The End


End file.
